All articles tagged with #bose einstein condensate
Two MIT-backed studies argue that a neutrino laser cannot exist: applying a Bose-Einstein condensate to coax coherent neutrino emission fails because neutrinos’ energy and interaction timing prevent the necessary superradiance, and the idea that a radioisotope BEC would boost decay isn’t supported; the concept is effectively closed, though proving a negative is challenging.
A team led by Ron Folman built the Quantum Galileo Interferometer (QGI) to place a single atom in a superposition of two trajectories—one undergoing free fall and the other held stationary—and then recombine them to measure gravity’s effect on a quantum wave. The observed phase aligns with the equivalence principle within about 2.5%, demonstrating gravity can act on a quantum system in superposition and outlining future tests with heavier objects (like nanodiamonds) to probe whether gravity is truly quantum or induces wavefunction collapse.
Physicists used a Bose-Einstein condensate of about 20,000 rubidium atoms in a two-path atom interferometer to measure a gravity‑induced quantum phase. The observed phase grows with the cube of the fall time, matching theoretical predictions and showing Einstein’s equivalence principle holds at quantum scales. The experiment, dubbed the quantum Galileo interferometer, ran 633 cycles across several hours, supporting compatibility between quantum mechanics and general relativity while outlining future tests with rotating frames and heavier objects to probe gravity’s effect on quantum superpositions.
Physicists directly imaged vacuum fluctuations in a lab-made two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate of potassium-39, using two internal atomic states to encode a quantum field and an amplification protocol that makes pre-existing fluctuations observable while distinguishing them from thermal or experimental noise. The measured fluctuation spectrum matches expectations for vacuum fluctuations, and the system can emulate a sine-Gordon quantum field, offering a controllable platform to explore phenomena like false-vacuum decay, particle production, and topological defects in quantum fields.
Physicists used a two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate of potassium-39 to directly image vacuum fluctuations, amplifying pre-existing quantum jitter to distinguish it from thermal noise. The resulting measurements align with vacuum-origin fluctuations and can emulate relativistic sine-Gordon fields, offering a controllable laboratory platform for probing quantum-field phenomena and potential processes like particle production and false-vacuum decay.
This week’s science roundup highlights a Bose-Einstein condensate experiment where time emerges inside a mini-universe, NASA upgrading its ISS lab to study such quantum states, and other quantum advances including using quantum computers to create a fusion-relevant material; researchers also report a real-world attempt to thicken Arctic sea ice by flooding with seawater. Archaeology reveals one of the oldest graves of a free Black person in the U.S.—Sebastian, known as 'Boston,' who died in 1729 in Boston. In space news, China’s Tianwen-2 mission captured the first photo of Earth’s quasi-moon, hinting at future sample collection.
A refurbished upgrade to NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory aboard the International Space Station—about the size of a mini-fridge—lets scientists study ultracold atoms and Bose-Einstein condensates in microgravity, enabling longer observation of quantum behaviors and paving the way for future space-based quantum technologies in timing, navigation, and gravity sensing.
A University of Birmingham team used a Bose‑Einstein condensate split into two halves to emulate a universe with no external clock. By letting entropy flow between the halves, they defined an internal clock—entropic time—that ordered events in the bright sector and could run faster, slower, or stop altogether as entropy exchange varied. The researchers also derived a Schrödinger equation using this internal time, supporting the idea that time and its arrow may emerge from internal relations and observer ignorance rather than an external time parameter.
A Birmingham physicist created a nearly isolated Bose-Einstein condensate of ultracold rubidium atoms, split it into two halves, and showed that time can emerge from entropy exchange within the system—the entropic time—acting as an internal clock that speeds up, slows down, or stops as the halves exchange or cease entropy. The experiment, tied to ideas in quantum cosmology and the Wheeler–DeWitt equation, provides the first lab-based demonstration that relational time can arise from within a closed quantum system and even reproduces a Schrödinger-like description using this internal time.
NASA has upgraded its Cold Atom Lab on the International Space Station to further study Bose-Einstein condensates in microgravity, enabling larger quantum states to be probed for longer times and advancing quantum technologies by leveraging ultracold atoms to measure time, gravity, and motion with unparalleled precision.
Physicist Giovanni Barontini built a lab-sized ‘mini-universe’ by cooling ~24,000 rubidium atoms into a Bose-Einstein condensate and trapping them in a two-region optical setup. The atoms’ movement between a bright (observed) and a dark (unobserved) sector creates entropy exchange that defines an internal, emergent time—time that flows due to entropy rather than an external clock—offering experimental insight into time in quantum gravity and cyclic cosmology.
NASA upgraded the Space Station’s Cold Atom Lab with a redesigned magnetic trap and new gas-source hardware, enabling larger Bose-Einstein condensates and longer microgravity experiments to study ultracold quantum gases and advance space-based quantum technologies.
US researchers propose a 'neutrino laser'—a compact device that could emit coherent bursts of neutrinos by cooling radioactive atoms into a Bose-Einstein condensate and triggering synchronized decay via superradiance. If realized, it could transform neutrino research and enable new applications from underground communication to medical imaging, but the concept is still theoretical and faces significant technical hurdles.
Scientists have created a long-lasting (two seconds) dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate of sodium-cesium molecules at near absolute zero using a novel dual-microwave technique, opening new avenues for exploring exotic quantum matter and phases.
Scientists at Columbia University have successfully created a Bose-Einstein condensate from sodium-cesium molecules at ultra-cold temperatures using innovative microwave shielding techniques, marking a significant advancement in quantum physics and opening new avenues for research into quantum states and materials.